Thursday, March 31, 2011

Time Warner removes channels from iPad app while Cablevision prepares
one of its own

Time Warner Cable was the first party to blink in the battle with programmers over its new live TV streaming TWCable TV iPad app, removing channels from Viacom, Fox and Discovery. The company's official statement indicates its merely choosing to focus on the "enlightened programmers" who support its cause and that it will provide replacement channels (maybe BBC America, since it's in all the screenshots) ASAP, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Expect the legal fight to continue to heat up between Time Warner, which believes it has obtained all the rights necessary to provide these channels on any screen in a customer's home, and the programmers, that think it hasn't.

Throwing more gasoline on the fire is word from Cablevision that its new iPad app with TV and video on-demand access was supposed to be out already and is merely awaiting Apple's approval before it launches. According to the Wall Street Journal it will go forward launching the Optimum Link -- formerly PC to TV Media Relay -- product that brings video from their PC to the TV tomorrow. Check out the list of pulled channels after the break or on Time Warner's blog, we'll let you know when or if anything changes.